I mean, it’s a movie about a golden retriever playing competitive basketball. My expectations were low going in. Still, even by the standards of a dumb, one-note, live-action Disney Channel daydream, _Air Bud_ is uh, not great. Cut out the dog and you’ve seen this plot a thousand times before: middle school kid loses his father (a FIGHTER PILOT), moves to a new town, struggles to make friends, kicks rocks for a few weeks, befriends an affable janitor and dutifully wins the hearts and minds of the school basketball team. Bland, sappy, overplayed material. Tossed into that mix is said retriever, literally kicked to the curb by a cruel middle-aged party clown, who sees the kid as a kindred spirit and, oh yeah, also has a nasty jump shot. Cue the practice montage, the “technically there’s no rule against it” referee’s decision, and (eventually) the vengeful former owner looking for a slice of the pie. The dog’s fun to have around, but his schtick is just entertaining enough for a short, lighthearted clip on the evening news. The rest of the movie is as blunt and cheesy as they come; a dozen soap opera acting performances paired with a heaping dose of white bread morality. Bad slapstick around every corner. Bud hits the same shot thirty times in slightly different environs, always accompanied by delighted cheers and uplifting music. Once, he does so while wearing a jersey and cute doggy-sized sneakers. Despite its depiction on the box art, he attempts no dunks. No dunking dog! What are we even doing here?

This might just be the best got-it-all movie I have every seen. I cried, I laughed my ass off and most of all I cried, but from joy! ❤

I think I would have really enjoyed a movie like “Air Bud” when I was ten. The story about a basketball-playing dog is entertaining in its own way, but it's also so outlandish that it's probably only truly appreciated through the eyes of a child. The dog is definitely cute, and when you look at the animal family movies of the 90s, “Air Bud” certainly holds its own. The plot may be very predictable, clichéd, and not exactly profound, but that’s kind of what the genre is all about. Ultimately, though, you get a movie that delivers exactly what you’d expect. And that’s a quality in itself. The only thing that baffles me is how an entire franchise could have emerged from this.

Absolutely incredible all over, perfect movie (I have a golden retriever)